The Return
by Didi
Summary: Maeve: And that's all you're going to get from me! Enjoy.


The Return By Didi 

Disclaimers:  All the usual stuff.  Don't own, don't sue.

Summary:  Maeve: And that's all you're going to get from me.

Note:  I know that the Adventures of Sinbad has been off the air for some time now.  This story was actually written some years ago, during the second season, which I refused to watch after the first episode due to the lack of a certain redheaded sorceress.  Okay, enjoy my efforts on this fan fiction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The ship was caught in the whirling wind and the lurching of the ship was throwing the crew off their feet.  With the pounding waves crashing on deck and rising panic as the crew scramble around trying desperately to pull the mast down so to lighten the tossing of the great ship, no one notice the magic books below deck being pulled efficiently from their neat positions on the shelves and thrown across the room at the table.  Three fat books with heavy leather binding opened careless to different pages with different spells.  Anyone looking into the scene would have been shocked by this sudden display of the paranormal, no one has touched these books since a certain young Celtic sorceress was lost in a storm much like this one.

            "Get those ropes pulled in before someone get whipped in the face with that," Sinbad yelled from his position at the tiller, wiping the salty water from him roughly handsome face. He was soaked to the bone after hours of fighting Mother Nature.  At the moment keeping the ship straight on his course was the easy part, keeping his feet on the deck was the hard part.  The winds seemed determine to kick the boat over and dump its crew into the ocean.  In all his years on the seven seas, never had seen such fierce weather in the summer seasons, it was almost unnatural.

            "Little brother," Doubar's voice carried strangely easily over the howling of the winds as he took a position next to the young captain.  "I'm afraid there may be a leek below decks."  His larger bulk blocked some of the wind from Sinbad's face.

            "What makes you say that?"  Even at such a close distance, Sinbad had to yell to be heard.

            "Firouz says that we're taking in water.  He checked just a moment ago," Doubar grabbed the tiller and motion for Sinbad to go, knowing that's what he wanted to do.  "Go on, check with him.  I can handle things up here."  

            Sinbad jumped the few steps down from the upper deck toward the stairs leading below.  Even as he ducked his head to enter the doorway, he could hear his brother's roaring voice give orders to the helpless men trying to cling to the railing for their lives.  Stumbling only once, he stood next to a busy Firouz who was using strange glue to seal the cracks that he appeared on the base of the ship.

            "I think I've almost got it all," Firouz said with a bit of pride.  The inventor set down the large heavy tar-covered pain brush and grinned at his old friend.  "Now aren't you glad I talk you into getting that tar in the last port?"

            "I'll never doubt you again," Sinbad with an easy grin.

            "Sinbad," Bryn's voice carried an unusual nervousness as she came near them.  The mysterious young magician wore a slight frown as she looked questioning at him.  "If you're here, who's in your cabin?"

            "What?" he moved toward his cabin.  "No one's suppose to be in there."

            "There is a light coming from your cabin."  Bryn moved with him, holding Dermott, a beautiful brown hawk on her arm.  Dermott has been behaving very strangely since the storm had began.  The usually ductile bird has been strangely excited since the winds began.  In fact, it was Dermott that alerted her to the shaft of light from the captain's cabin.

            Rongar, the mute moor, stood with his back against the side of the door as they approached.  He motioned for them to be silent, apparently he hears something within the chambers.

            Sinbad, whose sword was within his quarters, signal for Bryn to lend him her sword.  Silently, she unsheathed the slightly curved blade and handed it to him.  On her arm, Dermott looked ready to charge, a strange sense of excite radiating from the small animal.  

            "On the count of three, people," Sinbad whispered as he laid his hand against the handle.  He was feeling slightly violate at the thought of someone being within his private quarters. "One….. Two…… Three"

            With a mighty push, the three primed fighters charged in to confront the intruder.  Stopping short, they realize that no one was in the room.  It was as empty as Sinbad had left it only hours ago.  "What the heck…"

            Dermott took the opportunity to swoop in and landed on a roll of maps hang against the wall.  Unlike the humans, he knew exactly what was going on.  _How long have you been here, sister?  The thought slipped from him easily to the one he loved the most._

            _Not long enough to find what I was looking for, brother.  The storm gives me a good cover, I only hope the Master DimDim can keep it up a little longer until I'm done._

_            He will not let you down.  Dermott looked toward the three figures that stood froze at the door way.__  What do you intend to do about them?_

            _It matters not, they don't know what they are seeing._

            _Let's hope not._

            Sinbad continue to study the room.  Nothing seemed to have been disturbed but…… wait, the books.  The precious books he had removed from his redheaded sorceress's room when Bryn had come on board.  The books have been moved to his writing table and opened.

            Even as he noted this, the pages of the books turned as if on their own accord.  The three at the door took an involuntary step back, away from what ever was in the door.

            "It's not evil," Bryn said as she recovered.  "Dermott would not go near if it was."

            His eyes still large, "Then what is it and what does it want?"

            "Probably something in the books."

            "That's obvious." Sinbad remarked as he took a cautious step forward, toward the books.  "I wonder what it's looking for?"

            Another page turned and Sinbad stopped his movement.  He hated the thought of some unknown entity going through Maeve's books.  

            Maeve, the name brought back such pain when he thought of her, he had never known anyone that could get into his thoughts so easily and completely.  Her brightness was the one thing that he missed the most about the young sorceress, she always had the ability to make him feel so good, and all it took was a smile.  He missed her something awful, the same kind of gut wrenching feeling he gets whenever he thought she was in trouble.  God, he could sure use her voice right now.  He wasn't exactly sure just how he felt about her.  The cared for her, that's for sure; she irritated him like no one else could, that was not in doubt; he worried for her safety, as he would for any friend.  But sometimes at nights, when it get dark and lonely, he felt a longing for her, an aching somewhere in his heart that time could not seem to diminish.  Damn it, can't let thoughts of her distract him now.

            Dermott shrieked loudly to keep Sinbad from getting too close.  _Hurry, my sister.  He's coming too close._

_            I think I got it.  Even telepathy couldn't hide the excitement in her voice.  __If all goes well, I'll be with you soon, my brother.  Very soon._

            _I hope so too.  I miss you much, my dear.  Be careful._

            _Don't I always?_

            Dermott would have snorted if he could.  _Since when?_

            He squawked again as Sinbad moved even closer.  The young captain can almost make out the spell on the page when all three books slam shit and flew back to their positions on the shelf.  

            As Sinbad stood there staring at the bookshelf, he swore he could almost feel cool gentle fingers caress his face lightly.  With a vague sense he closed his eyes and allowed the fingers to run smoothly along his jaw.  He could almost make out the voice,  _Be safe, Sinbad.  Be careful._

            "Maeve?" the name left his lips before he could think clearly and the sensation slipped away leaving him with a regretful sigh and a familiar ache in his heart.

            Bryn was startled by the name.  Maeve, the name itself has become somewhat of a legend on the ship.  She knew not what kind of relationship Sinbad had with the woman, but it was obvious that she was always foremost on the captain's mind.

            "It was Maeve, wasn't it?"  Sinbad directly the question at Dermott.  He didn't understand the relationship the bird had to his mistress, but knew he was something very special.

            Dermott squawked and nodded his head once.

            All the answer Sinbad needed.  Maeve had been there, she'd come back.  He could only describe his feelings was happy.  Knowing that she had taken time to see him warmed his heart.  He was content with that, at least for a while.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            With a sigh, Maeve opened her eyes and looked out into the heavy fog.  That one brief moment with Sinbad was not enough to quench the pang in her heart.  She missed the dirty rogue.  Who would have thought that she could fall in love?

            He had changed much over the last year.  His clean cut boyish looks had grew rougher and sterner.  The new dark leather clothes he wore suited his new edgy looks surprisingly well.  Though she would never admit it to him, he was as sexy as ever.

            "Maeve?"  Master DimDim stood in the shadows long enough to see the unhappiness in the poor girl's eyes.  He knew better than anyone that it was hard not being with your loved ones.  "Did you find it?"

            "Yes," she smiled for the old man's benefits.  Master DimDim has always been so good to her.  He was like a second father to her after…… well, it was a long time ago.  "I think it can be done with just a minimum amount of energy if we were to get to the sight.  I'm afraid rising it from this place would not be wise.  Too much energy here would destroy this island."

            The barren gray rocks seems to laugh at her as she turn to study the fog drenched landscape.  The rocky peaks were only broken by the occasional brushes that somehow managed to survive in this harsh environment.  It was a dull, gloomy kind of haven that the old man have picked.  After over two years in this horrid place, he was more than happy to leave it.  

            "Can you do the travel spell?"  DimDim asked the girl with some weariness.  It was past time for Maeve to leave his side.  He had know shortly after her arrival that Maeve's potential was coming to full bloom.  If only she can let go of her anger, she could have so much more control over her powers.  But he has taught her everything he could possibly teach her, the rest was up to her.  

            A grin split the young woman's beautiful face.  "I think I can manage if need be."

            "Well start tomorrow," he allow himself a moment to study the island.  "It seems like I'm always leaving one place or another."

            "But you'll be going home soon," Maeve said with a smile.  "Isn't that what we are going to do?"

            "Yes," his smile appeared with vengeance.  "We'll finally be where we belong."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The threatening winds dead down just as quickly as they rose.  The crew sought their beds after a long brutal night.  The only ones up were Sinbad, who found it hard to sleep knowing that Maeve had been there, and Bryn, who didn't know how she felt about Maeve's sudden appearance.  

            "Sinbad?"  Bryn called out to him on the darkened deck.  

            He stood with his face to the winds, like a statue facing its enemies.  His thoughts had been pleasant ones; memories of events that were long past but never forgotten.  Recollections of a brave young Celtic warrior, with flaming-red hair and a temper to match.  

            "Yes Bryn?" he was almost startled to see her there in the moon light with Dermott sitting quietly on her arm.

            "Tell me about Maeve."

            The request was like a whisper in the winds.  She was curious, and even a little afraid, of this woman that had made a deep place for herself in the lives of the crew, especially the Captain.  What would happen should the missing Maeve return to the Nomad?  Would there still be a place on board for Bryn?

            "What's there to tell but the usual."  With an all too casual shrug, Sinbad placed the tiller on a hold position and sat down the railing.  "She was our sorceress before you came on board.  A better friend and comrade one could not ask for.  Like everyone else, she had secrets and problems that involved enemies that we fought.  Rumina was the witch that Maeve had an on-going war with.  But because Rumina is very powerful and Maeve's training was never completed, it was dangerous for her.  Master DimDim apparently thought that Maeve would be safer with him, so she left us."  With a rather sad sigh, he turned to look at her.  "End of story."

            "But what was she to you?" she asked persistently.  

            There was a long silence as Sinbad ponder this.  "I don't know what she is to me specifically.  I care about her, as I do with everyone of my crew."

            "You're a liar."  Bryn said with a knowing smile.  She had seen it in his eyes, the look of something more than friendship.  "And not a terribly good one either."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The dawn came with a gray light on the island.  Nothing was more gloomy than waking to the darken light of the sun.  Fortunately, neither Maeve nor Master DimDim noticed the mood of the weather, they were too excited about the prospects of going home for good.

            "Ready?" 

            Maeve nodded her head and glance down at the round top of the wooden table that they were using as a standing surface.  Taking Deep breaths and mentally picturing the isle she had once called home, she summon the forces around her.

            "Air and light, so pure and fine, take me back to what was mine.  Waters of heaven, so light and bright, part the way with thou mighty sight.  Winds of time, so fine and light, take me back to what was right."

            The humming of the air around her passes by without disturbing her concentration.  The pure light of magic surround he two figures and their standing surface, embracing them with its soft lamination.  DimDim watched with great satisfaction as the gray island disappeared behind them.  

            Traveling by light and magic takes lots of energy, but Maeve to have handled these acts without trouble.  The Celtic ancestry helped her to draw much of her energy from nature without even realizing it.

            Within moments they were floating just above the surface of the water, where their home, the Isle of Dawn, had once stood so proudly.  Turok had done a fine job in destroying the island that held so much for them both.  But now, they were back and ready to take back what was once theirs.

            Turning to her master, Maeve held up her hand, palm toward him, and gently touched her finger tips to his.  With eyes closed and concentration at its finest, they both began the chant, the spell she had finally collected and finished the night before.

            "Fire and brimstone burning bright.  Light of the darkness in the night.  What once undone, now return, for I summon the ghost of past delight.  Light of goodness turn this way.  Banish the shadows by the day.  Heart of darkness cringe and pray, for light had return to this way.  Isle of Dawn, beacon of light, return now, take back your right."

            The chanting continued, over and over again.  The kind of magic that they draw in was immeasurable.  Neither of them notice, with much brightness, that they were attracting more attention than they had intended.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            On the Nomad, Bryn gasped as the air around her seem to have been set on fire.  It was as if a whirlpool had been created on the magic plane, sucking in all the energy from everything that would contain it.

            "Bryn?" Firouz asked with a concern look as the young magician lost all the color in her already pale face.  "What's the matter?"  he looked up as the rest of the crew followed.

            She didn't hear him, or anything else that was said as she crashed to the deck.  The torrid of magic that was being drawn held her attention.  Who would be powerful enough to draw such power and not be burn alive by it?  The roaring of the moving current of life drowned out everything else for her.  She reached out with her mind to locate the eye of the storm.

            "Maeve."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            In the Cavern of Despair, Rumina fell to her knees as she felt the power being drawn from her.  Someone was pulling an incredible amount of energy into a focal point.  She cried out, as wave after wave of raw power tossed over her, trying to reach its caller, someone that could wield Mother Nature's source.  Not even her father Tock had been able to draw in such power when he was alive.  Who could be the new master of magic?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            In Basra, Caipra looked up with a hand to her chest.  Something was drawing in power from around the world.  She felt around the air, occasionally being knocked over by waves of natural forces, the power drawing it is good.  Panting slightly, she tried to control her breathing as she allowed the magic to be drawn from her.  There are only so many magicians alive that can draw this kind of power and she knew two of them not including herself.  Whatever it was, she hoped it was worth it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            In Baghdad, Princess Adena felt a light tugging at something.  She didn't understand it.  It felt as if someone was trying to draw something out of her body.  She gasped when the tugging became more insistent, almost painfully so.

            "Adena?  What's is it, my love?" Casib turned to looks at his wife.  "What's wrong?"

            With wide eyes, Adena looked back at him with confusion in her eyes. "I don't know."  She frowned with concern.  "I simply don't know."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Maeve felt the sudden rush of power, like the wind had carried with it a thousand different energy.  It cracked in the air and whirled sharply around her, filling her with such an urgent need to release some of its powers.  The light that had began to burn slowly within her as she moved the spell along was spreading slowly but surely outward.  This was it.

            Master DimDim held his breath as he felt the sharp tugging of energy from his body.  He had not thought it was possible for Maeve to be so strong.  All the built up energy would have burned up a lesser magician, but Maeve seemed content to stand there forever in the eye of this vortex she has called upon.  

            The rumbling of the sea was nothing compared to the roaring of her heart.  Maeve had never felt such pure unadulterated energy before.  She was so tempted to take more, to seep herself in it's brilliance.  All she had to do was carried the energy with her and transfer it all to its destination.  Master DimDim would guild her if need be.  

            Just a little longer.

            The sea bellowed as it unwilling gave up its prisoner.  The small landmass that slowly began to resurface was content to rise from its watery grave to rejoin those that had created it.  Two years it had laid quietly beneath the sea, waiting for its master to call upon it once again.

            The circle has been complete.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Bryn cried out again as she felt the tug even stronger than before.  Whatever Maeve was up to, she obviously needed a massive amount of energy to create it.  

            "What do we do?" Firouz asked with clearly signs of concern written on his face.  He did not like to see Bryn in such agony.  What ever it was pained her so much that she could no longer stand on her own.

            "Did she say 'Maeve?'" Doubar asked with apparent puzzlement.  

            With a sharp cry of pain beyond what she could imagine, Bryn crawled within herself and pushed against the intruder.  She could feel all that magic going someplace.  But why?

            "Bryn," Sinbad knelt down and looked at the woman's sweaty panting face.  "Are you all right?  Is there something we can do?"

            "No," it came out a whisper though she had not intended to be.  "It's over now."

            "What's over?" Doubar was still at a lost as to what had just occurred before him.  "Why did you call to Maeve?"

            The brilliantly bright skies revealed nothing as Bryn took deep breaths to relax her tense body.  "Maeve was conjuring a spell, a powerful one that needed lots of magic.  She was pulling on the magic sources around her, in nature as well as in people with magic.  It was like she was trying to condense it all to create something."

            "What?" Sinbad was more than a little interested at what Maeve was up to.  "Can you tell us what she needed all that power for?"

            "No," shaking her brown hair from her face.  "But I can tell you where to find it."

            The crew looked at her expectedly, as if of one mind.  

            "Due West of here."

            "You heard the lady, west it is."  Sinbad made a jump for the tiller as everyone else scrambled to lower the mast and raise the anchor.  The excitement was high in the air, everyone taking their cue from their captain.  They were going to find Maeve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Maeve took a deep breath as she sat down on the sandy beach with content.  It has been much too long since she had last visited her home away from home.

            "You were wonderful, my child."  DumDum stood with a wide grin on his face as he survey his domain.  "Just listen to the sound of those waves.  Is it not nice to be home again?"

            "Yes," her laughter joined his as she got up to dance freely around the beach.  "Yes, yes, yes."  Free with her spirits, she spun as if to twirl like the wind.

            DumDum watched with satisfaction.  "They will be here, you know."

            "I know."  Her smile was worth the moments of agony he had to endure during the spell.  He had underestimated Maeve's power once again.  

            "Will you be joining them?"

            "Yes," there wasn't a moment of hesitation in her voice.  "It's time."

            With a sigh of reluctance.  " Past time, but I didn't want to lose you so soon."  He sat down with a grin.  "I'm a fool not to have seen what was in your heart.  Even knowing your quest, I could not allow myself to see.  Your time has come and so has Rumina's.  Just be careful."

            The gratitude she felt for the old man was beyond anything she could have expressed with words.  "Thank you, Master DumDum.  I don't know how I'll be ever to thank you for your help."  She smiled with mischief.  "But since I won't be leaving anytime soon.  At least not until they come, why don't we go exploring for a moment?  See how the isle's been holding up after all this time."

With the vitality of a much younger man, DumDum stood up and nodded to his once pupil.  "I think that would be a very good idea."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Sinbad held his breath as the island came to view.  They've been at sea for nearly three weeks now.  Bryn's determination to find the source of the magic pull had been something fierce.  West, she had said.  Just one direction.

            Now nearing the mysterious island, he was not sure what to think anymore.  After consulting a dozen maps and flipping through every book he possessed, he could not find any mention of an island in the middle of nowhere.  It was as if the land mass had appeared out of nowhere.  

            "Are you as puzzled over this as I am, little brother?" Doubar stared at the island with some reservation.  Scratching his beard, the older man shook his head.  "I hate it when we run into unexplainable things."

            "Magic," Bryn knew the source before she even looked at as she appeared from below deck.  She had been sick since that day she collapsed.  Her body has been weakened and she could not tell them why.  "They're here."

            "Who's here?" Firouz asked as he took her arm.  He had been with her since that first day.  A part of him wanted to ask her more, but sometime about the way she carried herself kept him from asking too much.

            Bryn did not answer as she made for the long boat.  It did not take long for them to get on shore.  A strange sense of deja-vu over came members of the crew as they looked around.

Dermont's reaction was the strangest as he suddenly took flight without warning.  He circled the area, ignoring Bryn's calls and searched for something unseen.

"Little brother," Doubar was become very uneasy now.  "There's something very familiar about his place."

"I know," Sinbad did not draw sword, he felt strangely calm here.  "I can't quite remember when I've been here before."

            "This way," Bryn called as she followed Dermont as the bird took flight again.  "Dermont knows the way."

            The men exchanged looks before shrugging their shoulders.  "The bird knows the way."  Doubar muttered under his breath.  "Next thing we know, we'll be reading tea leaves and chicken entrails."

            Firouz and Sinbad grinned at one another before following.  Rongar had followed the group with an amused look on his face.  He already remembered when he was last on this island.  He could not wait to see their reaction.  There was nothing like the satisfaction of standing back and watching everyone else make fools of themselves.  

            "Dermont, slow down."  Sinbad called up to the eager bird.  "Not all of us have wings like you do."

            "Is it me or is that loony bird getting too excited?" Doubar huffed with some difficulty.  The rocky sides of the beaches was not an ideal place to run on.

            There was a sudden silence as Dermont's screeches abruptly ended.  Everyone looked up toward where the hill peaked and where the hawk had disappeared.  The mad scramble up the hill was ended without warning when they caught sight of the large arch at the top.

            Of them all, only Sinbad knew what it represented.  "It can't be."

            The others looked on puzzled as Sinbad stood in front of the arch for a moment, looking as if he was seeing a ghost.  Hesitating only a moment, he reached out to it and his hand disappeared through a silvery wave.  He stepped slowly through the arch, vanishing from the sight of the crew.

            The others entered the arch with cautiously and quickly followed Sinbad as he made his way through a lush rose garden, again following Dermont.  A sharp gasp was heard as the crew came around the corner and caught sight of Dermont as he descended for landing on the out stretched arm of the woman lounging within the gazebo.

            "By the light," Maeve exclaimed with delight as she gently patted Dermont's head.  "Where did you come from?"

            Sinbad felt as if his heart had stopped; he held his breath in fear that she may disappear as quickly as she appeared if he made the wrong move.  Maeve sat there so engrossed with her pet that she did not see the five much surprised people standing there staring at her in utter disbelief.  She was every bit as beautiful as she remembered.  Her long red curls were kept tamed with a single gold clip, unruly locks of it escaped and curled around her smooth skinned face, it was longer than he remembered it, but then that was expected.  Her green eyes glow with happiness as she greeted her pet.

            "I hope we get the same reception." Sinbad said as he continued to drink up the sight of her.

            Maeve's head snapped around to take in her unexpected visitors.  Her eyes concentrated on Sinbad's face as he came closer.  She was not sure if she even remembered to breathe she felt so much joy.  Her voice came in a mere whisper.  "Sinbad."

**To be continue……….**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Obviously, this is an unfinished story.  Continuing it would depend on the audience's response to it.


End file.
